• by Wayne Friedman , January 22, 2013

There are high awareness levels and an increasing use of TV Everywhere efforts -- but "authentication" remains a problem.

Two-thirds of consumers in multichannel TV homes say they are aware of TV Everywhere apps and services from TV networks -- with 37% using those services, via standard or mobile Web sites or apps, says media research company GfK.

All this comes at higher levels than analyzing what multichannel TV providers -- cable, satellite, and telco companies -- have to offer, where there is a 52% awareness level for TV Everywhere services and a 30% use number.

Mobile devices are a big part of TV Everywhere -- 30% of pay TV consumers reported using TV Everywhere and 34% using an individual TV network app. Looking at those cable, satellite, and telco TV Everywhere services, there was slightly lower use -- 25% for mobile Web sites and 26% for apps.

Whether from a TV network or a pay TV provider, consumers don't like the need for "authentication" -- where 70% of consumers would hesitate to use TV Everywhere services if they needed to provide a username and password to gain access.

For many older TV users -- ages 50 to 64 -- authentication would be a deal breaker, the researcher says.

David Tice, senior vice president of media for GfK, stated: “Standardizing and simplifying the authentication process across providers, and using a standard term or logo with consistency -- whether it’s ‘TV Everywhere’ or something else -- will help customers know what they are using and erase the barriers to greater use and demand.”